DISCONTINUED: A Former Crimean Knight
by Archsage12
Summary: Oscar, Boyd and Rolf's backstory before the events of Path of Radiance. Rated Kplus for mild language and violence. Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1: Abandoned

_Game: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. In the first chapter, we learn about Rolf's mom and the horrible thing she did to the __three young boys. This is the story of Oscar, Boyd and Rolf before they joined the Greil Mercenaries. It is before the events of Path of Radiance, obviously. I know, I suck at writing descriptions. Thanks so much for reading, it's my first time writing fan fiction, I apologize if it sucked. I tried hard, though, and if you enjoyed it then please comment and thanks once again!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters (I wish!). They are property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems._

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><p>Rolf twisted and turned in his cradle, unable to fall back asleep. The infant shoved his fingers into his mouth and began sucking. His mother, Monica, groaned and grabbed the fingers away from the mouth and told him to go back to sleep, even though she knew a baby like him wouldn't understand what she was saying.<p>

Tears were threatening to spill from the child's eyelids but Monica didn't care at all. In fact, she never even wanted the baby. It just meant more money going to waste to feed another mouth, while she could be using all the money for herself, buying some outfits for her wardrobe or even some jewellery.

As the woman became lost in thought, the baby began bawling, not liking the lack of attention. Monica, fed up, shoved the crib into a corner and left the room, preparing to go get some sleep. The baby continued to cry relentlessly, until Oscar tiptoed out of his room, unable to sleep with the noise.

He frowned and walked towards the baby, who's crying had been reduced to soft sniffling at the sight of his brother. It was evident that baby Rolf trusted his older sibling much more than the vile woman he called a mother. Oscar lowered himself onto a nearby chair and scooted close to the cradle, gently trailing his fingers over the baby's stomach, causing him to giggle. Oscar caressed its cheek and decided that downstairs, alone, was not a good place to let a baby sleep. The green-haired teen carefully picked Rolf up in his arms. He trudged through the hall as quietly as he could and placed the small child in a bundle of his blankets. Fortunately, Rolf was already asleep and Oscar just lay down on the cold, wooden floor and tried to get some rest.

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><p>The next morning, he was awakened by furious stomping and an angry voice. The door to his room swung open and slammed against the wall, leaving a small dent. Monica, enraged, towered above Oscar's formerly sleeping body.<p>

"What in the name of Ashera do you think you are doing, boy? I told you to never take that cursed brat out of its cradle! It needs to be taught a lesson!" Monica hissed with venom in her voice, her fists tightening by her sides, "you stupid, stupid idiot! I can't believe this! Why did I agree to marry that worthless father of yours? His children are the most… ARGH! Oh my Goddess, just-"

Oscar, was enraged by her words. "Mom, don't you even care about us? Rolf was scared to be all alone, and he's a baby so he needs attention! Also, stop calling him 'it', Rolf, has a name too-"Oscar was interrupted by a fist directed into his skull, causing the blood in his head to begin pounding and migraine soon found its way into his head.

Monica pointed a quivering finger at Oscar, who was clutching his head and trying to regain his breath. "Never talk back to your mother, idiot!" Oscar forced the tears back up into his eye sockets and managed to pull himself beside Rolf, who was wailing because of all the loud yelling.

"You… you are not to tell your father about this, or else…" Monica slammed her fist into her palm, glaring menacingly at Oscar.

Awakened from his slumber, Boyd creeped out of his room and was just about to enter Oscar's room when Monica stormed out and shoved him aside, causing him to fall on his behind. She simply scoffed and marched to her knitting needles, which loyally waited for her presence.

Oscar groaned and rubbed his head before stroking the baby's head and whispering gently to Rolf to calm him down. He then sat up to tend to Boyd, who was still sitting on his bottom, in a sort of daze. He rubbed his eyes and as his vision started to focus, he stared in horror at Oscar, whose forehead and right eye was slowly turning a pale blue colour and swelling.

Boyd pulled on his older brother's sleeve and muttered:"Hey Oscar, what happened to your face? Does it hurt?"

Oscar laughed gently and squeezed the five-year-old's arm, masking his pain behind a forced smile. "Don't worry, little brother. I'm fine. …Mom just got a bit mad, that's all."

Boyd's mouth screwed up into a grimace as he folded his arms. "Mom's not supposed to hit her kids! What gives her the right to do that? I can't believe this! I just wish dad knew… We should go tell him, Oscar! He needs to know!" Oscar nervously looked around, relieved to see that their mother was out of the vicinity. The green-haired teenager sighed and rubbed his sore forehead, wishing the same thing.

"Me too, Boyd, me too…" The fourteen-year old stared blankly at the wall until the sound of a squeaking door hinge tore him away from his thoughts. He whipped his head around and saw his beloved father, Linus, smiling brightly. He was carrying a worn-out lance with one hand and another hand resting on the doorknob to the house. Monica's usual frown was instantly replaced by a fake smile as she ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, sweetie, are you feeling all right? After a week away from home, you should probably take a rest now." Oscar scrunched up his eyebrows, disapproving of the fake and sickening sweet voice Monica used with his father.

He was older now, and knew what was behind that happy-go-lucky façade of hers. He knew that deep down, all Monica cared about was money and that nothing else mattered. He felt horrible that he wasn't telling his dad, who was still head over heels for her and hadn't even realized what she was doing. Oscar was scared. Every day when Linus wasn't in the house, Monica would threaten him, physically abuse him and treat him like a slave.

Linus hugged Monica for a few moments before turning his attention to Oscar and Boyd, who were both sitting in front of the wall, staring into nothingness. His smile faded a bit and he gently pushed away from Monica, to see his children.

"Oscar, Boyd, I'm home! How was your week-"Linus laid eyes on the blue… thing on his oldest son's face. "Oh my sweet Ashera, what happened to your face, Oscar?" Linus' smile immediately disappeared and a look of horror spread across his face.

Oscar nervously chuckled and wiped a few beads of sweat off his bruised forehead, racking his brain for some sort of excuse. "Um, well I was playing tag with Boyd. Yeah, that's right and, well-"

Oscar was interrupted by Boyd who pointed an accusing finger at Monica. "That's a lie, Oscar! Mom pun-" Oscar covered his mouth with his hands and glanced uneasily at Monica, who had the if-you-tell-him-I-swear-I'll-kill-you look, so he decided to continue his lie. "Yeah, and well I wasn't looking at where I was going and ran into a tree! Yeah, ha… ha, and uh, mom wanted to punish me. That's right; punish me, so I'm not allowed to go to the forest for the rest of the week… She didn`t want me to get hurt anymore."

Linus raised a questioning eyebrow at everyone and sighed deeply. "Alright, then, but be more careful next time, Oscar. You always have some sort of injury when I come back from work. Go get some ice from the storage chamber." Oscar smiled through his pain and nodded. "Yes, thanks Dad!" He then ran off to the storage chamber and grabbed a block of ice, lifting it to his forehead and let out a content groan. The cold ice felt amazing against his feverish skin.

Boyd, still angry at Monica, huffed and ran into Oscar's room to watch baby Rolf sleep. He hated her more than anyone else in the world and just wished he could tell it all to his father…

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><p>It was night time, and the following morning his father would be leaving for another mission, not to be seen again for two or three days. Oscar huddled up in a ball on his bed, wrapping his thin blankets around his shivering frame. He tried to ignore the cries that were coming from Rolf's cradle, which he knows has been left alone once again.<p>

Not able to withstand it any longer, he sneaked out of his room and carried the child over to his room, and created a small bed out of his blanket and a pillow, the child slept peacefully and happily gurgled, sucking on his stubbly little fingers. Oscar smiled gently, knowing that in his heart he would go through whatever kind of pain to see his youngest brother happy.

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><p>The next morning, preparing for Monica to storm in and once again abuse him, Oscar nervously fiddled with his bed sheets for a few minutes, surprised that Monica still hadn't woken up yet. He lifted himself up off his bed and peeked into her room, finding her packing a bunch of her things and valuables into a large suitcase. Another man waited at the doorstep, smirking evilly.<p>

Oscar dared to speak up. "Mom… w-what are y-you doing?" He inquired, nervous. She slammed the suitcase down and glared at him. "What does it look like, idiot? I'm packing up and leaving. Boyd and Rolf can come if they want, we'll be going in and moving in with a richer man anyways. But I want you to come with me. You need to be our cleaner, cooker and the lot. Alright, so, get your things packed up and get Boyd over here."

Boyd had already woken up and was carrying a sleeping Rolf in his arms. He creeped in to see what was going on.

"Alright, then. Boyd, you can come with me if you want. We're leaving that no good father of yours to this pleasant rich man," she said, motioning to a fat senator. Boyd folded his arms and glared at her. "How could you do that to Dad? He worked so hard for you and you're just going to abandon him? What kind of person are you?"

Monica clawed him across the face, leaving a red mark on his cheek. Boyd fell to the ground, clutching a whimpering Rolf in his arms.

Oscar stared at her in shock. Monica had beaten him before, but never Boyd. Furiously, he stormed up to her. "Who do you think you are, you crazy lady? Hurting Boyd like that! I will not come with you and there is nothing you can do about it." Monica, enraged, punched him again in the same spot as the previous day, the pain doubling from being hit on a bruise. She gave him a swift kick in the stomach, just for good measures.

Monica scowled at him and sauntered off with her new man, turning her head to say a few last words. "Fine then, you stupid idiots. Why in the name of the Goddess would you want to stay with that useless idiot of a father for? You had chances of eating three meals a day, wearing nice clothes and you threw it all out the window."

Oscar turned his head and bellowed, making sure she could hear what he was about to say.

"I'd rather stay with father because he loves us, and all you love is money. I… I hate you!"

With that, Monica had already left, and was out of sight. Boyd was a bit dazed and was crying, rolling around on the floor. Boyd's voice lowered to a raspy whisper. "Oscar," he cried, "please don't leave me alone…"

Oscar crawled over to him and clutched his temple, feeling very, very light-headed. He weakly raised a protective arm and patted Boyd's head. "It's alright, Boyd. I'm right here… I won't leave you alone, I promise…" And with that, Oscar's shoulders slumped down and his head lolled forward unconsciously, his back leaning against the wall, leaving a panicking Boyd trying to rouse his brother up and a crying Rolf, confused about everything that was happening.

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><p>Oscar felt consciousness flood into his mind as he painfully opened his eyes to find a sleeping Rolf and Boyd on the ground. He slowly sat up, a wet wad of paper falling off of his forehead. Touching the bruise on his forehead, which had quickly worsened, he groaned and stood up, ignoring the searing pain in his stomach and chest. He wasn't sure how long he was unconscious for, but Oscar had a hunch that the three boys haven't had food in at least two days.<p>

Oscar leaned down over his younger brothers and picked them up, lifting them one at a time onto his bed and pulled the covers over their shivering bodies. He smiled gently and decided to make some food for them, whispering a small thanks for Boyd who had dragged an unconscious Oscar to his bed and placed the wet paper on his head.

He grabbed the last morsels of meat from the cupboard and laid them on the counter and started to boil the water. Oscar rummaged through the storage and managed to find some herbs and vegetables, chopping them up and dropping then into the boiling water. A few minutes later, he turned the fire on low heat and went to check up on his younger siblings.

The two boys were already awake. Boyd groaned and rolled around on the bed, claiming that he was dying of hunger. "Oscar," he groaned and rubbed his stomach," I'm hungry…"

Oscar smiled and rubbed the younger boy's cheek, saying in a reassuring tone: "Don't worry, Boyd, the soup will be ready in a few moments." Boyd just nodded and let his head fall back onto the pillows.

Oscar returned to the kitchen and turned off the fire, pouring the delicious stew into three small bowls. He picked up the bowls and placed them on the small desk beside his bed. Boyd, quickly attracted to the delicious smelling concoction, grabbed one of the bowls and slurped it up in ten seconds. He let out a content sigh and tugged on Oscar's sleeve. "Oscar, can I have some more?" Boyd stared at him with enormous eyes and Oscar sighed, pouring some of his own soup into Boyd's bowl. Boyd greedily slurped it up once again and let his head fall back on the pillow. "Thanks, big brother…" Boyd mumbled, almost incomprehensibly.

Oscar tipped the bowl of soup carefully and Rolf willingly accepted after not having food for quite a bit of time. Oscar then drank up his own soup and sat down on the bed, beside Boyd.

"Boyd, how long was I unconscious for?" Oscar asked nervously, not wanting anything longer than 2 days.

"Um, I think around like 4 days or something." Boyd replied, scratching his head. Oscar slapped himself across the face and turned his head towards Boyd and Rolf.

"I'm so sorry to do that to you two… I'm a horrible older brother, aren't I?" Oscar sighed and placed his elbows on his knees, leaning his head onto his hands. Boyd quickly got up and hugged Oscar, wrapping his arms around his waist. "No, don't say that, Oscar, you dummy! You are the best big brother ever!" Oscar smiled at him and returned the hug for a few moments.

A creaking sound broke them from their thoughts as the front door swung open, Linus stood at the entrance, looking rather tired and more… ill than usual. Oscar stood up quickly and racked his brain for an explanation of why his bruise was larger and darker, why he was limping when he walked, why Boyd had a thin scab running across his face, why Rolf looked as skinny as a twig and why their mother was not with them. He could not come up with any plausible explanation and relied on the truth.

"Darlings, I'm home!" Linus was excited to see his family, but never was he expecting them to be in such a miserable state. Oscar stumbled towards him and threw his arms around the man's waist, letting all the pent-up feelings of sadness and anger out, crying without stop. Boyd soon followed, angry tears in his eyes. Baby Rolf started crying, just because he was confused and scared and well, everyone else was doing the same.

Linus gently raised Oscar's chin up and examined his face, an angry expression on his face. Looking at Boyd, he was even more upset. "What happened, boys? Was Monica not taking care of you well enough? How did you get hurt so badly? These wounds might be infected, for all I know. I need to have a good chat with her and where she should let you guys play."

Oscar's crying diminished to quiet sniffling as he dropped to his knees and stared at the ground. He couldn't bring himself to tell his father about any of this. Fortunately, Boyd spoke up.

"Dad, Monica's not with us anymore. She left with this fat guy and hasn't come back. She punched Oscar and kicked him, trying to get him to come with her. And she scratched me."

Linus could feel the blood in his body freeze. That woman… how could he do that to his children? He leaned down and brought Oscar up so he was standing once again. Oscar's voice was wavery and he bit his bottom lip. "I'm sorry that Boyd got hurt, I couldn't protect him… He's usually not the one to get hit- I mean, uh…" Oscar mentally slapped himself for letting that slip out.

Linus, so angry he could hardly speak managed to mutter: "So, my boy, whenever I get home and you have all those injuries… it's that woman who inflicted them? I… Oh my Goddess…" He felt light-headed and shook his head.

"Alright, then… I'll go grab some ice, and you both go to Oscar's room and wait, alright?" Linus trudged to the storage, mumbling curses under his breath. Boyd piped up, feeling that his dad was very sad. "Thank, dad. We love you…" At these last words, the tears cooped up in their father's eyes freed themselves and he cowered in a corner, crying to his heart's content.

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><p><em>So, how was it? Did it suck? Was it boring? Was it cool? Was it depressing? Thanks for reading, and next chapter it shouldn't be so depressing. Comment and do whatever you like, people. I'm just happy you read all of this stuff.<em>


	2. Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Journey

_Game: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. In the second chapter, Oscar decides to get a job and become a knight! He sets of to apply for the Crimean Royal Knights. His dad helps him out a bit and then Oscar's going to the capital, by himself! __Chapter 2 in my story; thanks for reading! By the way, I have no idea what time period Fire Emblem takes place in so I made it up._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters (I wish!). They are property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems._

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><p>Running around town to complete various errands: buying some meat, some vegetables and stocking up on a few vulneraries, and on special occasions paying a trip to the local armoury to buy a new steel lance when his father's own one wore out; Oscar was used to this way of life. It was still almost the same without Monica there, after all, all she did was sit and mope around the house all day long, not lifting a finger to help earn any income. In fact, it seems that life had become easier once she left. <em>As Monica used to say, 'If we got rid of you it would do the whole family well, one less mouth to feed! <em>Oscar mumbled bitterly at the memory of his step-mother.

Soon after Monica left, Linus told Oscar that Monica was in fact his step-mother and not his real mother. His real mother had been killed in a fight, and of course Linus was devastated. Boyd and Oscar shared the same mother but Rolf had Monica. Oscar was taken aback, shocked but also happy that he wasn't blood-related to that vile woman who abused him daily, but felt bad for Rolf, and hoped to dear Ashera that Rolf's personality would be the complete opposite of his mother's.

Oscar decided that he wanted to help his father and become more useful to the family. He wanted to become a knight. He didn't know how to become one or where to sign up, it was basic a fantasy of his, something for him to aim towards.

The blasting of a horn roused Oscar from his thoughts and he looked around in the general direction of the loud noise.

There were at least ten of them, all wearing black, red, white, blue or green armour, some mounted on snow-white mares. They held a variety of different weapons, from bows to axes. The blades were not that of the quality you could find in an everyday armoury, they were hand-crafter with pure silver. The knights marched slowly and proudly, raising their heads high up in the air. One of them threw a roll of paper at any person that looked at least of fourteen.

Oscar, amazed, caught the roll of paper thrown at him and shoved it into his bag, waiting until he returned home to open it.

He finished the errands as quickly as he could and zipped home, excited beyond belief to see what information that scroll contained as it did, in fact, come from the hands of a Crimean Royal Knight.

Oscar rushed through the door and sat down on the floor, staring intently at the parchment. The paper was pure white, unlike the brown and musty looking papers that lined the insides of many of his father's old books. A bright red ribbon wrapped around the scroll, holding it in place.

Cautiously, Oscar gently tugged on the ribbon and let the paper unwrap into his hands. Reading the information, his heart started pounding faster and the excitement building up in his body was let out with a soft gasp.

_June 12, 832_

_From the official guards of Crimea, the Crimean Royal Knights,_

_ As our troops advance and further fight for the justice of our country, they, with time, grow older and retire. Starting from this year, the year 832, a new generation of Crimean Knights begin. We invite you to join the application of the Crimean Knights in our capital, Melior, at the Crimean Royal Knight's main Base Camp. It will take place in 2 weeks' time. The entire application will take place from all times during the day, starting from when the sun rises to midnight. _

_Requirements_

_Age: 13-25_

_Experience: You do not have to have any experience with fighting._

_Education: You must be able to speak, read and write._

_What to bring: If you are applying and get accepted, you will be staying with us for two years. You will be able to return home to visit your family during a week of summer, a week of winter, a week of spring and a week of autumn. After these two years, you will be either accepted into the Royal Crimean Knights as an apprentice or stay in the trainee group. It would be advisable to bring one bag of personal belongings such as gifts from your parents or siblings, and at the very least four changes of clothes. Sturdy shoes and a coat for the wintertime will also be needed._

_Class: You can choose from either:_

_The Crimean Royal Knights – Weapon choices are bow, lance, axe or sword. You will be mounted on horses, so any experience with horses will be helpful. You should be physically strong and swift. _

_Element Control –Weapon choices are all magic tomes; you will have a choice between wind, fire, dark, light and lightning magic. This is the mage and sage squad. You should be intelligent and agile._

_Healing Base – Weapon's will be given to promoted healers, called bishops. They will use light magic. All others should be intelligent, pure-hearted and willing to help others. You will be using staves._

_Fighting Force – These will include archers, fighters, myrmidons, and armoured knights. Archers excel in archery, must be swift and have good aim. Fighters must be very strong physically. __Myrmidons must be agile and accurate. Armoured knights must have a good build and be physically strong._

_Intelligence Center – Those applying to become strategists and tacticians enter here. You must be very smart and know much about the continent of Tellius._

_Winged Guard – This will include pegasus riders, dracoknights, wyvern riders and wyvern lords. Must be swift and good with animals. Must be able to handle heights well._

_Thank you for your time, valued applicant, and we hope to see you during the application process._

_Regards,_

_Mathias, captain of the Crimean Royal Knights Training Squad_

Oscar gripped the paper so tightly that his knuckles became white. He quickly rolled it up and placed it in his drawer, not wanting Boyd or Rolf to drool or scribble on it. Smiling brightly, he found his dad, who looked awfully tired, sitting on a chair with his head resting on his hand. Oscar walked up to him and gently tugged on his sleeve.

"Hey, dad," Oscar said, nervous about the response he would get from his father, "well, when I was going to get the herbs from the shop, a group of the Crimean Knights came over and they gave me an invitation to apply as a trainee…" Oscar glanced at his father, who was now visibly shocked and was sitting up straight, interested. "Go on, my boy."

Oscar was happy to see that his father was fine with the idea of him applying, as Linus didn't seem too excited when Oscar told him he wanted to become a Royal Knight a few weeks earlier. "The application process will be at the Royal Knight's main base in the capital, in two weeks. If I get accepted as a trainee, then I'll be staying with them for two years and get to visit you for one week each season… So, dad, how about it? Can I go? Please?" Oscar pleaded.

A long pause proceeded, and Oscar felt more and more awkward by the minute. After what seemed like an hour, Linus finally turned his head slightly and sighed. It wasn't an angry sigh, but a worried one. "My dear Oscar, I don't know. You… you are my son after all. If anything were to happen to you, I would go ballistic."

Oscar fell to his knees and started begging.

"Please, dad! I promise, I won't let myself get hurt! You know me; I'm not like Boyd in any way… You know I'm careful… You are my dad, after all." Oscar tried, using the same phrase that his father used. After a long groan, Linus gave in.

"Oscar… I guess I can teach you the basics." Linus smiled weakly at his eldest son as the young teen's face brightened up considerably. With a goofy grin plastered on his face, Oscar stood up beside his father and Linus racked his brain for memory about fighting…

"Alright, son… How about we pay a trip to the armoury and I teach you a bit there? In fact, I'm pretty sure that I could get Mr. Doniard to lend us some of his weapons for a few hours, or better yet… I could buy you the weapon of your choice, so you can practice for the next two weeks." Oscar's smiled widened and he hugged his dad with so much force that he was practically suffocating him.

"Oh thank you, dad! Thank you thank you thank you! Let's go now!" Oscar eagerly stated. Linus scratched his beard and shook his head. "Well, Oscar, what are we going to do with Boyd and Rolf? They can't really handle their selves alone…" Oscar frowned, obviously disappointed. Linus thought for a bit and found a somewhat… risky idea.

"How about we bring Boyd and Rolf with us? They should be safe with Mr. Doniard for an hour or two." Linus asked his son, though it was more of an affirmation because he knew Oscar wouldn't care either way.

"Alright dad! Let's go!"

And with that, Oscar and his father dragged Boyd and Rolf to the armoury for the first time.

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><p>"Alright, Oscar. First, what is this weapon called?" Linus said, holding up an iron axe. They had managed to convince the shop keeper, who happened to be a very close friend of Linus, to take care of Boyd and Rolf for three hours. Oscar frowned slightly. "Dad, I know what all the weapons are called. That's an axe, the one over there is a sword, the one over there is a lance and the one over there is a bow. Then those books over there are called tomes."<p>

Linus chuckled lightly and patted him on the head gently. "Good for you, Oscar. Now, let's get into more detail. I'll tell you about the weapon triangle and the affinity of magic. Do you have any idea what those are, my boy?"

Oscar shook his head.

"Well, the weapon triangle consists of the lance, the axe and the sword. Axes best lances, lances best swords and swords best axes. So, when fighting, look for an opponent who has the weapon that is weak against the one you use. The bow, however, does not have advantages of disadvantages over any of the other physical weapons. Also, each weapon has its advantages and disadvantages of its own. Axes, out of the three weapons, are the most powerful and can cause much damage, but are also the hardest to wield, aim with and slow your movement down considerably. Swords are the weakest out of the three, not doing much damage, but are very precise and light. Lances are in between these two, being the most well-balanced weapon of the three, so that's why most knights use this type of weapon. Did you get all of that, Oscar?"

Oscar organized all the information in his head and nodded, urging for his father to continue.

"Alright, next up is magic. There are five types of magic: dark, light, lightning, wind and fire. The three elements, lightning, fire and wind, are classified under anima magic. The affinity of magic is basically the same thing as the weapon triangle. Wind bests lightning, lightning bests fire and fire bests wind. Light bests dark magic, dark bests anima magic and anima magic bests light. Understand?"

Oscar once again, nodded and his father continued to explain about different classes. A few minutes later, Oscar nodded again and reviewed what he learned.

"So, dad, knights become paladins, armoured knights become generals, archers become snipers, mages become sages, fighters become warriors, myrmidons become swordmasters, soldiers become halberdiers, clerics become valkyries, priests become bishops, pegasus knights become dracoknights and wyvern riders become wyvern lords?" Oscar said in a huge, long, run-on sentence. Linus nodded and patted him on the head.

"Good for you, that was a lot to remember! Now, we get into the fun stuff. We'll borrow an iron axe, lance, sword and bow, but no tomes since knights don't use magic tomes. Alright, sonny, you can try each of them out then choose one you would like to work with!"

Oscar and Linus left to the backyard of the building, where a target and dummy were located. Oscar picked up the axe, which was a lot heavier than it looked.

"Oof! This axe is really heavy!" Oscar said, hoisting it over his shoulder and letting out a breath. Linus chuckled and told him 'that's why all warriors must be very strong'. Oscar tried to swing it a few times but only managed to get it lodged into the ground. Linus pulled it out for him and told him to try another weapon. Oscar picked up the lance and found that it was slightly heavy, but definitely not as heavy as an axe. He thrusted it forwards a few times and twirled it in his hand before piercing the dummy through the stomach. He smiled and leant the lance by a tree.

"Looks like you're pretty good with a lance! Why don't you try the sword and see if you like that better, although I seriously doubt it." Oscar picked up the sword and swung it a few times. Indeed it was light and easy to use, but it didn't give him the same feeling of satisfaction when he sliced the dummy's head.

Oscar lastly picked up the bow and arrow but somehow managed to fire the arrow backwards, almost hitting his father in the face. Oscar frowned and, frustrated, gave the bow back to his father.

Linus grinned and placed a hand on his son's smaller one.

"Well, Oscar. It looks like I'll be buying you an iron lance."

Oscar smiled brightly as they returned into the shop and retrieved Boyd and Rolf, as well as a new iron lance for Oscar.

On the way back home, Boyd kept on staring in awe at the pointy tip of the lance. Since Oscar was giving him a piggyback ride and Oscar was holding the lance in his hand, Boyd could easily reach out and grab it. And that's exactly what he tried to do. Oscar quickly jerked it away.

"Oscar! Let me touch the lance! It looks cool! I wanna see if it's actually really pointy!" Boyd pouted and tugged gently on Oscar's hair. Oscar sighed and pulled Boyd's hand away and smoothed out his emerald-green hair.

"Boyd, it really is pointy. I don't want you getting hurt now… Maybe you'll have a lance of your own when you're older!" Oscar replied. Boyd huffed and folded his arms but stayed silent for the rest of the way back home.

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><p>Oscar was ready. He had all his clothes packed together, and all his belongings packed up, too. Looking over at all the important things that he had, he smiled. There was Rolf's old blanket, a mud painting on a rock from Boyd for his birthday, a quick sketch that his father did of the weapon triangle and the affinity of magic, and the special parchment, quill and ink that his father bought for him so he could write letters to them. Each item was carefully placed in the bag, and all the items except for Rolf's blankets were wrapped up in cloth so they didn't get damaged. Oscar placed his clothing and the knapsack in a larger bag and slung it over his shoulder. He patted his pant pocket which had a small satchel of gold and a vulnerary, in case he got hurt.<p>

His father told him of a caravan that travelled around town and drove people to places for small sums of money, and Oscar was planning on taking that to get to the capital of Crimea, Melior. Before leaving, he made short farewells to all his family members.

Rolf didn't know exactly what was going on, but sensed that it wasn't something happy. Oscar hugged Rolf and tickled his stomach, eliciting a laugh from the infant. Oscar murmured gently into his ear: "Goodbye, Rolf. Be a good boy and listen to your father. I'll miss you…"

Boyd ran up to Oscar and hugged him. Oscar knelt down in front of Boyd and returned his hug. Oscar pulled away for a moment and was surprised to see that Boyd was, in fact, crying. Oscar wiped his tears away with a finger and sighed, rubbing his eyes as he felt the tears threatening to escape. "Boyd, don't cry, you're making me cry-" Boyd quickly whipped his head sideways, trying to hide is tears. "I'm not, sniff, crying!" Boyd interjected, obviously having some manly pride. Oscar chuckled and hugged him one last before saying: "Goodbye, Boyd. Be strong without me, I'll miss you, you little twerp." Boyd punched him teasingly in the arm.

Lastly, Oscar ran up to Linus and hugged him, feeling the nerves getting to his head and the sadness from leaving his family. Linus pulled away and said to him: "Oscar, I'm hoping you get into the knights. You've been training hard these past days. I… I'll miss you, my son. Remember, you are talented, you are strong and you are smart. Now that I think about it, you are pretty good at many things," a playful smirk crossed Linus' face, "you might even get yourself a… dare I say it, girlfriend!"

Oscar felt his face flush a light shade of pink and he rubbed his face, embarrassed. Linus laughed and put his hands on his son's shoulders. "I'm just teasing, Oscar. Anyways, please try your best but most importantly, stay safe. Write to use whenever you can, and make your father proud!" Oscar hugged him one last time and set out for the capital, his journey beginning.

Looking back, he could see his family members waving, and he shouted one last message to all of them:

"Thank you, dad, Boyd and Rolf! I'll miss you guys! I love you!"

Then, Oscar set out on his journey to become a full-fledged knight, smiling brightly and determined to come home with a horse and armour, determined to make his father proud and determined to become stronger and more helpful to the family.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading, people! I hope you liked it, and I apologize if there are any mistakes I made. This chapter was, indeed, happier, but kind of boring. I will make sure that next chapter will be more exciting! Thanks once again! <em>


	3. Chapter 3: Entrance Exams

_Game: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. In the third chapter, Oscar comes to Melior and applies for the knights. They go through a series of small tests and finally… does Oscar get accepted or rejected? __Chapter 3 in my story; thanks for reading! By the way, thanks to all who reviewed and commented, and a BIG THUMBS UP to CrimsonMercenary who is just plain awesome; go check out his profile if you have the time. He has a really cool story about Gerik, you know, the epic guy with the green hair._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters (I wish!). They are property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems._

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><p>The sun's rays baked the grounds of Melior in an almost desert-like, unbearable heat. It was a very bright, sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. Oscar walked through the streets of Melior, admiring the beautiful, antique buildings. He never went to the big city before, always cooped up in his house. This was all new to him.<p>

There were a few bookstores around, and he was tempted to go in and read, but he stopped himself and looked around before the majestic, beige building with the words "Crimean Royal Army: Main Base" came into view. There were life-sized carving of soldiers on war horses on either side of the entrance of the building, so detailed they almost looked like people that turned into stone.

There was a huge crowd of people trying to get in, most around Oscar's age. _They're probably also applying for the Royal Knight…_ Oscar thought to himself. He felt his self-confidence lower when he noticed that most of the other boys were taller and larger than him, although they had this dumb expression on their face. He pushed his way through the crowd and entered the main building.

The inside looked just as royal-looking as the outside, with five red velvet carpets, each leading their way up to application stations. Oscar lined up in the line with the smallest amount of people, gripping the strap of his bag nervously. After fidgeting with his belt for an hour, reviewing all the things his father taught him in his head; it was finally his turn to go. His head was spinning and he gulped nervously, looking at the man who was entering the information for the applicants. He looked awfully tired…

The man turned his head to Oscar and said in an irritated voice: "What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Oscar! I'm very pleased to meet you, sir!" Oscar replied, trying his best to be polite. The man just waved his hand slightly.

"Thanks, Oscar, but no need for the formalities; although, you seem to have the best manners out of this whole lot of applicants." He chuckled lightly and Oscar smiled back, not knowing what else to do.

"Alright, Oscar… How old are you, lad?" the man inquired, his quill hovering over a sheet of parchment.

"I'm fourteen, sir- I mean, um…"

"James." The man replied, trying to make the boy feel less awkward.

"Thanks… Mr. James."

"So, what class are you applying for?" James asked, writing the number fourteen in the box labelled _Age_.

"I'm applying for the Crimean Royal Knights." Oscar replied.

"Hm… Just one thing, lad. Hope I'm not intruding on any private matters, but can you see, Oscar? Are you... blind?" James asked in a nicer tone than he would normally use, curious as to why Oscar's eyes were always so… squinty.

Oscar hated it when people asked him about his eyes. Nobody understood, and they just thought he was handicapped. "No, Mr. James. I'm not blind, and I can see fine with my eyes. They're just a bit sensitive to the light, that's all." Oscar stated in a composed manner.

The man chuckled and nodded. "Good, you seem like a mature kid, reacting very calmly to a question like that. Anyways, what weapon do you plan on using, and do you have any experience with animals?"

Oscar, relieved that the awkwardness ended, continued: "I`m planning on using lances, and I haven`t had experiences with animals that much."

The man just nodded and held out his hand. Oscar accepted and shook it lightly. James pointed towards a door with a sign saying: "TEST 1" on it, in golden cursive letters. "You are to go in there, Oscar. There will probably be another few minutes before the test starts, so you can try to relax and calm down. Good luck, lad. I have a feeling you'll get in. You're different from the rest, you know."

Oscar smiled and said his thanks before heading into the room, which was already filled with other applicants, who were all sitting down and twiddling their thumbs. Normally, it would have been extremely awkward to walk in to a room like this, but luckily for him, there was something distracting the other applicants from his entrance. A red-haired boy, probably around the same age as him, was standing on a desk, grinning like a madman.

"I am Kieran, legendary future Crimean Knight!" The self-absorbed red-haired stated, pointing his finger at everyone in the room for a half-second, "None of you will be able to best me, as I am invincible! Stronger than the strongest! One day, you will bow down to me and worship my skill, wishing you were like me! Fame and glory and power! It will be mine!"

As Kieran continued his long rambling, giggling could be heard from a few other applicants. Oscar raised a questioning eyebrow and slunk into an empty seat. A few minutes passed, and all anyone could hear was Kieran's ranting. When Oscar felt that his head was just about ready to explode, a tall, blonde man entered the room, wearing shining ebony armour. He had an air of authority emanating from him, and at once Oscar felt like bowing down his head to the knight. He did not a have a smile nor a frown on his face, and he didn't glare at the applicants, just casually glanced at them all.

Even Kieran was quiet, and he quickly made his way to his seat. The blonde man walked over to the front of the room, clearing his throat. He smiled slightly and delivered a short speech to the applicants.

"Welcome, applicants. I am Captain Mathias of the Crimean Royal Knight Training Squad, and I will be your test supervisor for the application, and if you are accepted, I will also be your instructor for your two years here." Mathias continued, "We will begin the application with a strategic test and then a physical test on your strength, endurance and the like. Again, you do not have to have any experience with strategic reasoning or battle. So, we will begin our first test. I will hand you each a copy of a short quiz, and there will be questions on that paper. All you must do is answer them as precisely as possible. If you are finished early, raise your hand and I will collect the test back. You will have approximately an hour and a half."

Mathias handed each applicant a sheet of papers, a feather and ink. Oscar fidgeted nervously with the corner of the paper, too stressed to start reading the questions.

Mathias nodded at the clock. "Alright, remember, you have an hour and a half. You may begin, and good luck."

Oscar darted his eyes down and skimmed the test. Luckily for him, most of these questions were simple and the information his father told him helped greatly. He smiled inwardly and bit his bottom lip, reading the first question. _If you were a soldier, and you knew that the enemy in front of you could kill you in two hits and you could kill it in two hits, would you let him attack first? Why or why not? Note: This enemy is not fast enough to attack you twice in a row but is able to counterattack you, and there are no healers anywhere nearby._

Oscar thought for a moment. _Well, if I were to attack the enemy first, he would counterattack me. Then, he would attack me and I would be dead! So, if I let the enemy attack first, I would get hit, then counterattack him. After, I would attack him, and I would win; so…_

Oscar wrote down his answer as neatly as possible, not trying to get any ink smudges on the crisp piece of parchment. He then continued with all the questions, answering them with ease.

After he was finished, Oscar leaned back gently against his chair and stretched out his sore wrist, he usually didn't write so much at one time. Squinting at the clock, it appeared that they had ten minutes left, and Oscar used this opportunity to reread his answers and make sure that he didn't make any mistakes.

Kieran, though, was struggling with these questions. He had no idea what any of it was talking about, yet he could not show any signs of weakness. Therefore, he pretended to be writing but instead was thinking to himself, _This is madness! Why would Knights need to know about this 'strategy' junk? It's not important! Strength and power are all you need to succeed! Heheh, that rhymed…_

Mathias stood up abruptly and signalled for everyone to put down there quills. He picked up all the tests and told them to head outside into the training fields, where they would be doing their second test.

* * *

><p>"This is the second part of the application. It is very, very simple. You will first run around the track as long as you can, and if any of you start walking or get too tired to continue, you may withdraw. After that, we will see how many push-ups each of you can do in two minutes. Then, we will see how far you will be able to throw a javelin. Now, everyone, line up on the track. You can run at any speed you want, but absolutely no walking is allowed. Now, start running!"<p>

The sun was still blazing hot, and was having a negative impact on the running endurance of most of the applicants. Oscar pumped his legs slowly, trying to maintain a slow jogging pace. That way, he could go on for longer. He glanced at Kieran who was running full speed around the court, smiling brightly and screaming at the top of his lungs: "AH HAHA! KIERAN, FUTURE LEGENDARY CRIMEAN KNIGHT, RUNS AT FULL SPEED AT ALL TIMES! UNLIKE YOU WEAKLINGS, I AM ALWAYS GOING FULL OUT, AND THEREFORE-" And right at that moment, Kieran felt something collide against his foot. His face twisted into a look of sheer horror as he felt himself fall forwards and crash into the ground, face-planting.

Kieran lay there, in a daze for a while, before the booming voice of Mathias could be heard: "Kieran, out! You can go sit on that bench until everyone else finishes." Kieran, completely humiliated by being defeated by a rock, _an inanimate object_, threw his head up at the sky, outraged.

"This is horrible! Me, the great Kieran, defeated by a worthless rock! …Pah! That was mere luck, you rock," Kieran growled angrily at the rock and pointed a finger at it, "I will get you next time! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

Oscar chuckled quietly and continued running, trying to forget about the searing pain in his legs by listening and focusing his attention on the fuming Kieran, stomping on all the rocks in his path. Most of the applicants were already out of the race. It had only been maybe two minutes, but then again, they felt as though they were running in a desert. Oscar continued running, eyeing the few other applicants who were left.

One minute passed. Two minutes. Five minutes. Only Oscar and one other boy, maybe two or three years older than him, remained. Kieran had stopped his rambling already, and was just staring in silence. The other boy looked like he wasn't even breaking a sweat, while Oscar was panting and clutching his sides.

The pain in his chest was too much to bear and Oscar slowed his pace down to a walk and very slowly ambled towards the benches, giving up. Mathias patted him gently on his shoulder, telling him that he did a good job.

Mathias decided that it was enough and told the other boy that he could stop now, because they had already marked down that he could run the longest in the never-ending race. The boy smiled triumphantly and sat down beside Oscar, who was still panting and out of breath. The boy extended his hand out and said, in a friendly tone: "Hey, good job! My name's Leon… It's nice to meetcha!"

Oscar accepted the handshake and smiled back. "Nice to meet you too, Leon. My name is Oscar. You did a really good job out there, you know. How do you run for so long?"

Leon just chuckled and was about to reply when Mathias raised his hand, motioning for them to be quiet. "Good job, applicants! You will have half an hour to do whatever you want in the training fields or indoors, in the test room. You must return back in the fields in half an hour, and if you are not present, you will NOT be participating in the rest of the application. Do not disturb any Knights you see or any other group of applicants, do not break anything, because if you do you will be disqualified. If you need any help or have any questions, feel free to talk to me. You are dismissed." Mathias waved his hand and the majority of the students all ran inside the building, trying to shade themselves from the heat. Oscar motioned over to a large tree in the fields, and the two walked over and sat under it, the shade completely blocking out the sun's rays.

Leon leaned his head back against the tree trunk, sighing. "Well, Oscar, I'm from the countryside, and we spend all our days 'a pullin' and pushin' around bunches of knickknacks, y'know what I'm getting' at?"

Oscar nodded. "Wow, that must take a lot of work! You must need help around the farm, so why did you come to apply for the knights?"

Leon frowned slightly. "Well, y'see, Oscar, s'just that I got myself a l'il sister, a sweet little lass she is, her name's Nephenee, but I like to call her Nephs. She's just a l'il girl, and she can't do no work yet, so we're getting' pretty poor nowadays. I decided to help out and apply for the Crimean Knights!" Leon glanced at Oscar and asked, "So, enough about me, Oscar. What about you? I reckon' that you've got yourself a reason to be applyin'."

"Well, I also have siblings. Two younger brothers, that is. Rolf, who is still a baby, and Boyd who is now eight years old. Our family is also poor, and my dad works very hard, so I wanted to help him." Oscar leaned his head on his palm.

Leon slapped him gently on the back and grinned. "Well, I'm pretty sure we'll be accepted in no time!"

The green-haired teen smiled back. "Yeah, I hope so."

During that half hour, the two boys chatted and got to know each other better, also relaxing and getting prepared for their next exercise. Oscar spotted many of the applicants heading back out to the field, and told Leon that they should probably get going.

* * *

><p>Mathias stood at the front and declared: "Alright, next up we will be testing your strength. This is also very simple. You will have two minutes to do as many push-ups as you can. You will be put into pairs and your partner will count the number for you. One push-up only counts if you get your nose to the ground. Understood?"<p>

A chorus of 'understood' replied from the applicants.

Mathias smiled. "Good. Now, get ready, and no cheating is permitted. If you are caught cheating, you will be immediately disqualified and will not be able to apply for the knights in another five years. Now, get ready…"

Leon and Oscar paired up together and Oscar decided he wanted to go first, trying to get it over with. Sweat was already beginning to pour down his face, and he hadn't even begun doing push-ups.

"…GO! Two minutes!"

Oscar began his set of push-ups. Strength was never his strongest suit. He could hear Leon cheering him on. "C'mon, Oscar! You can do it! Whoo hoo!"

Oscar continued, feeling the muscles in both his arms and his abdomen tighten. He gritted his teeth together and forced his arms to continue.

"Ten seconds left!" Oscar pushed himself over the edge and collapsed when the whistle blew, his muscles having a few spasms. He pulled himself off the ground, his arms and lower chest feeling like jelly.

"Oh, my god… So, huff, Leon… How many… huff… Did I, do?" Oscar asked, out of breath.

"A hundred and three! That's pretty impressive, my friend!" Oscar smiled to himself and wiped the sweat off his face.

"AH HA HA! I TELL YOU, THE GREAT KIERAN BESTS YOU ALL! A HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT! NOBODY CAN BEAT ME! AH HAHA!" Kieran pumped his fist in the air, posing victoriously. His partner grunted and muttered to herself, something about being all brawn and no brains.

After Leon's set of push-ups, Oscar counted an amazing one hundred and twenty eight, exactly. "Wow, you got just as much as Kieran!" Oscar stated, amazed.

Leon laughed. "No, Oscar! I reckon' he got as much as me!"

Mathias clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "Alright, once again, congratulation! And please do not feel bad if you didn't do very well, we don't just mark you on your strength and your intelligence. We are also keeping an eye on your behaviour," he glanced over at Kieran, "so don't act too reckless. Anyways, let's continue with our javelin throw!"

The blonde knight pulled out a javelin. It was just a simple iron one, with the tip blunted, and Oscar could find these in his everyday armoury, but the other applicants had a look of complete awe on their faces. Mathias twirled it around in his hand and pointed it at a long field, marked with white lines. A long red line marked the beginning of the track.

"You will each get three tries to throw this javelin as far as you can. You can throw it in any way you want, with one hand, with both, it doesn't matter. You will stand at the red line, and throw it forwards. Everyone else, stay at least ten meters away so you don't get hit. I will take your longest distance, and that will count as your score. Position yourselves in a line and we will get started."

Oscar lined up behind Kieran, intrigued by the boy's personality. Kieran had lined up first, so Oscar was second and Leon was right behind him. Kieran, determined, just grabbed the javelin with his hand and threw it, watching with pride as the javelin soared through the air. It wobbled a bit and started flipping about, then lodged itself into the 50 meter mark. Kieran frowned; thinking 50 was not a good number. He wanted… 100!

Oscar was up next. He nervously gripped the javelin in his dominant hand and positioned it so it was pointing straight. He waited a few seconds, and flung the javelin as hard as he could. The javelin soared through the air and plunged itself into the ground at the 57 meter mark.

Leon patted him on the back, congratulating him. Leon's throw reached the 64 meter mark. All the other applicants threw the javelin, _35, 48, 29, 43, 23, 32…_ But none of them could reach 50 meters. A the end, Oscar ended up using his first throw as his final mark, his others being 46 and 52. Kieran ended up with a 56, and Leon with his first score, 64. Kieran was fuming at the two, and began one of his famous Kieran rants.

"THIS IS UNNACEPTABLE! ME, THE GREAT KIERAN, WILL NOT ACCEPT THESE TWO WEAKLINGS TO BEST ME AT JAVELIN THROWING! MADNESS, I SAY, MADNESS! YOU TWO!" Kieran pointed a menacing finger at the 'weaklings', "WE WILL SEE! YOU MIGHT BEST ME AT JAVELIN THROW, BUT I AM FAR BETTER AT ANYTHING ELSE! I AM THE GREAT KIERAN! NOBODY CAN BEAT ME! I AM INVINCIBLE!"

And then Kieran attempted to twirl the javelin in his hand, promptly hitting himself with it and knocking himself out. Oscar and Leon face palmed, and Mathias called for the doctors to come.

"Well then, thanks? And please do not try anything stupid like that red-haired boy did. Not a good idea. So, expect your results in a day or two, and you may all stay at our campus for those days. You can choose your roommate, and your room, but no fighting or else you will be kicked out. The campus is to the left of the training field, you will be able to recognize it. You may choose any rooms between the numbers 1 and 30. Because there are only 42 of you, there will be a few empty rooms, but you must have rooms in pairs. Go on ahead, and try not to make too much noise. Get yourself comfortable, and you may do whatever you want for the next day, until you get the results. Good job, you guys. I'll be seeing you, and if you need food, go to the main building and on your left will be the cafeteria. Have fun!"

And so, Oscar made his way to the campus, thoroughly worn out by the events of the day, and decided to relax and hope for the best.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading, people! And oopsies, you won't get to know if Oscar got in or not until next chapter. Sorry 'bout that, it was getting kind of long. And Leon is an OC, so is Mathias. Yes, Leon and Nephenee are related. I felt like doing that. Thanks for reading! Review if you have time, and whatever. Thank you!<em>


	4. Chapter 4: Getting to Know the Ropes

_Game: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. In the fourth chapter, Oscar gets accepted in the Trainees and has his first lesson, and realizes something important. Then we will see how Boyd, Rolf and Linus are doing back home. Thank you for reading! PLEASE REVIEW if you have time. Also, I'm sorry this update took so long; I was really busy this week. By the way, thanks to CrimsonMercenary, again, for being a really awesome editor, with really awesome feedback. Big thumbs up and smiley faces to you, Gerik, if you are reading this!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters (I wish!). They are property of Nintendo and Intelligent System, obviously._

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><p>Oscar and Leon ran into the Crimean campus and looked around. An enormous banner hung from two poles, the words: "Crimean Royal Knights Campus" in silver, embroidered letters. Oscar and Leon ran into the campus and looked around. There was a large building, and Oscar guessed that this building would be the one that sheltered them for the following day. He motioned over to it.<p>

"Hey Leon, let's go find a room." Leon nodded as the two boys ambled into the building. After looking around for a bit, they decided to take a room nestled in the heart of the building, close to the washroom. They chose this room because both boys understood the universal rule: When you got to go, you got to go.

Oscar put his hand on the doorknob and pushed, entering the room.

The room was large, with two beds on either sides of it, a large drawer standing in between the beds. On top of the drawer there were a few candles and matchsticks. There was a desk in the corner of the room**.** The moonlight shone through a window located on the wall facing the door. The floorboards creaked gently as they entered the room, examining their new living quarters for the day.

"Well, I reckon' we should just drop down our bags, hm? We'll actually get ourselves comfy if we get in." Leon inquired.

"Yeah, I guess." Oscar then pulled his knapsack over his shoulder and onto the bed.

Leon also put a large bag beside his bed and began walking towards the door. "Y'know, Oscar, we should go exploring! All this twiddlin' of our thumbs is getting' to my head."

Oscar nodded. "Leon, I'm coming with you, but I think we should go get a bite to eat and head straight back. After all, it's pretty dark outside already, and we wouldn't want to get lost in the dark."

Leon placed a hand on his hip and chuckled. "Well then, that works too. You remind me a heck of a lot of a friend of mine, who applied to the Winged Guard…" Leon trailed off, probably thinking about this friend of his.

The two boys headed out of the building and into the cool, fresh night, a few small gusts of wind blowing at their clothing. They made their way into the large building and entered the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was packed with other applicants, all chatting and running about. Oscar spotted a familiar mass of fiery red hair bobbling around. Kieran grabbed his fork and pointed it towards Oscar and Leon as soon as they entered the room.

"You two! I DEMAND that you tell me all your cheating ways in besting me with that javelin!" Kieran approached the two boys, glaring. Oscar cowered a bit, feeling awkward as all the other applicants stopped what they were doing to watch. Leon just smirked and casually flicked Kieran in the forehead.

"Well, Kieran, I reckon' you be talkin' about that time where you knocked yourself silly with the javelin? The great, INVINCIBLE, Kieran? Hm?" Leon grinned at Oscar with enjoyment, as the young man felt like he had just put Kieran in his place.

Kieran's face became as red as his hair. Very embarrassed, Kieran shot back: "NO! I am talking about how YOU managed to telepathically smack me with it!" Leon was about to retort, but Oscar jumped in between the two.

"Hey, calm down, you guys... Look, Kieran, it wasn't our doing... We wouldn't really gain anything from you hitting yourself- uh, you getting hit by that javelin, anyways... J-Just be more careful, alright?" Oscar stammered, trying to calm Kieran down.

Kieran fumed at them, crossing his arms defiantly. "You deceitful, lying, squinty-eyed coward and you obnoxious, countryside, smart-alec! HOW DARE YOU! WE WILL SEE WHO GETS IN! WE WILL SEE!" Kieran then trudged out of the room, almost tripping but catching himself right before the fall.

The whole cafeteria erupted in applause, and Oscar and Leon sat down quietly, grabbing a sandwich each, and chomped on their food.

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><p>Oscar woke up to the sounds of a trumpet blaring in the distance. He rolled around and stared at the ceiling in a daze, not remembering where he was for a few seconds. He muttered to himself.<p>

"Boyd… Rolf… Dad…?"

Then he remembered that he was at camp and not in his house anymore. Groaning, he sat up and found that Leon was still curled up in a ball, asleep. Oscar gently shook him to wake him up and told him that he could hear a trumpet, so something important was probably happening. Leon nodded and got up.

At that moment, someone knocked on their door. Oscar opened it and came face to face with Mathias, who had circles under his eyes, probably tired from staying up all night and marking the entrance exams. Mathias cleared his throat and said: "Good day, applicants. We have an important meeting in around twenty minutes, so get yourselves together and meet up at the training field." Oscar nodded. He was both excited and nervous because he KNEW that Mathias would be disclosing the results from the applications regarding who would become a trainee knight.

Washing up as quickly as he can, Oscar ran a comb a few times through his hair and pulled on his shirt, then pulled on his boots and took off with Leon, to the training fields.

The duo walked up to the crowd, looking up at Mathias, who was smiling slightly and skimming over a few papers. Behind him were around 30 packages, all with a label on them.

Once everyone was there, Mathias began to speak.

"Alright, applicants! I am hoping that you all had a good night's sleep. I am pleased to announce that the results for the applications are in." He glanced around the crowd, smirking gently as people began whispering amongst themselves. Oscar fiddled with the hem of his sleeve, nervous beyond belief.

"First, I want to congratulate all of you for your participation, and you all did an excellent job. Do not let your spirits down if you did not get in, there will always be next year. Now… I will begin. There are 28 trainees in total. If your name is called, you have been accepted. You are to step up here and I will give you your package of items you will need."

Oscar felt his blood pulsing rapidly, and he felt like his chest was going to explode.

"These names are in no particular order, just pure luck. Alright, trainee number one… Miss Amelia! Congratulations!" The crowd erupted in cheering, and a few people were patting a young girl on the back. She giggled nervously and shook hands with the Mathias, grabbing her package and returning to her position, an enormous smile plastered on her face.

"Next up, we have… Kieran! Good job!" Kieran quickly shook hands with Mathias and smiled, looking very pleased with himself. Mathias gave him a gently pat on the shoulder and sent him off.

A few more names passed on the list of applicants, the tension in the air rising. Oscar's name still hadn't been called, and he was starting to lose hope.

"Trainee number twenty one… Leon! Congratulations!" Leon, shocked, froze for a few moments before Oscar gently patted him on the back and shoved him towards Mathias. A minute later, he returned, clutching a package to his chest. Oscar smiled and congratulated him.

Again, more numbers passed, and Oscar still hadn't been called. He had already almost lost all hope when Mathias finally announced the last trainee.

"And our final trainee is…"

Oscar put his hands together and prayed for his name.

"…Alan! Congratulations!"

Oscar felt his heart drop. He let his hands hang down by his sides. Masking his disappointment with a forced smile, he tried to shrug it off and clapped, congratulating the last trainee. Leon grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Oscar… hey, I'm sorry. I would've reckoned that you would get in instead of that Kieran guy… I'm real sorry..." Oscar sighed and grunted gently.

Unbeknownst to Oscar, Mathias was looking directly at him and smirking. He cleared his throat. "Actually, I lied. There are 29 trainees, except this last one that I did not mention actually received the highest score in the application exam. This person will be granted permission to the trainees, will receive some money for their family and will be given special permission to spend one day with full-fledged knights and learn from them."

Oscar looked up, wanting to learn who this lucky fellow would be.

"This exceptionally talented youth is none other than…"

Oscar hoped to hear his name, but knew that was probably not going to happen and lowered his head to the ground.

"… Oscar!"

_Well, good for Oscar... he must have done a good- wait..._ Oscar thought to himself, not realizing that it was HE who had been granted this special permission. Shocked, Oscar jerked his head upwards and stared at Mathias, who was grinning. Leon shoved him forwards and whispered a "Congratulations!"

Oscar nervously wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and accepted Mathias' handshake, sheepishly scratching the back of his head with his free hand as he listened to the cheers and clapping of the other applicants. Mathias leaned down close to his ears and whispered: "Good job, Oscar. I scared you there, didn't I?" Oscar groaned and nodded, while Mathias just laughed. Oscar gripped the package and sauntered off, smiling gently.

The pats on the backs and the jumping for joy stopped abruptly when Mathias clapped his hands together.

"Congratulations! You all did an amazing job, and truthfully, this year's competition was remarkably strong. Even if you did not get it accepted, I congratulate you nonetheless and I encourage you to try again next year. Now, if you were not accepted, you may head back to the campus to retrieve your things, then leave. We hope to see you again next year, though! Good job once again!"

A small group of people headed off into the direction of the campus. The trainees stood and looked at Mathias. The new recruits waited attentively for further instructions. Once the group could no longer be seen, Mathias continued.

"As for our trainees... Firstly, I will congratulate you once more. Secondly, before we begin your training we must go and briefly do an orientation and go over some rules..."

A groan chorused through the lot of trainees, who did not find rules and orientation all that exciting.

"... and, of course, you will choose your weapons!"

Excited cheering erupted from the audience.

"Good, good, it seems that you are all enthusiastic. Now then... well, go put your packages in your drawers. In that package, there will be a training uniform or armour, which I would like for you to wear, an identification scroll, your results from your test, a map, and a pouch with a few vulneraries, which you should be carrying along with you AT ALL TIMES. So, go back to your rooms, put on your training outfit, go attach the pouch onto your belts, and meet me back here again for a few rules and choosing your weapon in an hour!"

* * *

><p>Oscar adjusted his shoulder pad and tightened the belt strapped to his beige-coloured pants, patting his pouch to make sure that his vulneraries were all there, and followed his group out of the main base of the Crimean Royal Knights, Mathias leading the way.<p>

They ventured through the training field and stopped in front of an enormous, oak shack. "This is the armoury. Before we enter, though, there are a few rules."

Groans could be heard.

"General rules: First, do not speak to other knights, other than myself or ones that I give permission for you too. There will be other knights at both the stable and the armoury, so be very quiet and follow along at all times, do not disturb the knights. Second, there are both real weapons and training weapons, so do NOT touch the weapons unless given permission. Finally sneaking into the armoury at night is strictly forbidden. There will be guards on watch during then."

Cheers could be heard from the group of trainees as Mathias opened the door. The door's metal hinges creaked from overuse. Inside the shack, rows of weapons lined the walls from the ceiling to the floor. And sure enough, there were a few other knights looking for weapons of their own. Collective gasps could be heard from the excited trainees.

The group advanced forwards as Mathias pointed out the metal used in each weapon, such as iron, steel, and even silver. Oscar glanced at them in amazement, the sharp tip of each weapon glistening even in the dim lighting. He involuntarily shuddered at the thought that these beautiful weapons would soon be used to spill blood along the ground... then realized something important.

_If I do become a knight, that means I will very likely be killing people... whether they are innocent or not, even if they're on the opposing side, even if they are evil and I'm doing justice for my country...I'm still killing people. I will become a murderer..._ Oscar felt his stomach do a flip as he nervously eyed the weapons once more.

_I don't know if I can do this..._Oscar thought to himself, and he suddenly felt nauseous.

While the other trainees chatted amongst themselves, huge smiles plastered on their faces, Oscar lagged behind a bit, holding his stomach and suddenly becoming very interested in the worn-out leather on his shoes. Leon noticed his uneasiness and slowed down until he was beside Oscar.

"Oi, Oscar. Are you feelin' alright? Y'seem a bit... out of it." Leon asked, worried. Oscar just waved his hand slightly and said that he was fine, just had a bit of a stomach ache. Leon nodded, and unsurely caught up with the rest of the group. When the group arrived to the training weapons, Oscar was already sweating profusely and felt like puking. Mathias glanced over at him and frowned when he say the distressed look on Oscar's face.

"Alright... trainees. Please grab the weapon of your choice from the training weapons only, and then wait for further instructions over there." Mathias nodded his head towards the weapon checkout center. Oscar slowly advanced forwards towards the weapons and touched the handle of a lance, only to feel Mathias place his hand over Oscar's trembling one. Oscar looked up at him and forced a smile. "Captain... Is there something the matter?"

Mathis sighed and brushed a few of Oscar's green bangs out of his face. "I should be the one asking you that question. What happened?"

Oscar shivered and sat down on the ground, while Mathias kneeled in front of him. "Well, it's j-just this whole 'knighthood'... I mean, looking at these w-weapons made me realize something... You have to... kill p-people?"

Mathias rubbed his shoulder sympathetically, and nodded slightly. "Oscar... you see, I'm 36, and have been a knight for 18 years. I went on missions, and... Yes, I have killed people before."

Oscar felt his stomach acid rising to his throat and he felt strangely light-headed. Mathias cocked his head gently to the side. "Oscar, you see, we kill others for our country. The people we kill are bad, they are trying to kill everyone else in our country and harming innocent people. We need to rid of these people or they would get to our loved ones, yes?"

Oscar paused for a moment then nodded, thinking about Boyd, Rolf and his father back home. Mathias continued to speak as Oscar thought of his family.

"Oscar, you know you are one of the most accomplished applicants I have ever met in my 10 years of training applicants. You would make a wonderful knight, so please, think about it. Remember, you are fighting for our country. You're a strong boy, Oscar. You can do this. I believe in you."

Oscar nodded again and slowly stood up, the nausea beginning to disappear as he picked up the blunt-ended lance and turned to face Mathias. "Thank you, captain... I'll try my best."

Mathias smiled gently and ruffled his hair. "No problem, my boy." Oscar, confidence and determination regained, returned in line with Leon, and the group of trainees proceeded to check out their training weapons, and take a tour of the entire base camp.

* * *

><p>Oscar sat down on his bed and stretched out his arms, happy and tired from his first day of being a trainee. They had trekked around the entire campus, and Oscar felt as though he knew the place like the back of his hand. The whole time, they were carrying their weapon, which seemed kind of strange. <em>Why didn't we just visit the armoury last to save us the trouble of carrying our weapon around? Did our captain forget and mess up the order?<em> Oscar asked Mathias this, but Mathias denied everything and simply stated that 'it increased your endurance'.

Leon had already said good night and fallen asleep, so Oscar was left alone to do whatever he wished. He leant his lance against the wall. Oscar opened his bag and placed all his belongings into the drawer, then pulled out the parchment, quill and ink that his father had given him. He quietly sat up and picked up the candle and matchsticks before placing them on the desk and sitting down, getting himself comfortable.

The candle flickered gently and illuminated the space surrounding it. Oscar lifted the quill and dipped it into the ink, then placed the tip on the piece of paper. He then began his letter to his beloved family back home.

_Dear Dad,_

_ I just wanted to let you know that I was accepted into the trainees, and apparently I also received the highest score out of this year's group, so I have the privilege of spending a whole day with real knights! I'm not sure when this will happen, though, but I'll be sure to tell you about it! Our captain, Mathias, is also very nice, although __very__ strict. I met a few new people, too. There is this boy from the countryside, Leon, and he's really nice to me, and we have become friends. Then there is also another boy named Kieran, who seems a bit... agitated and overly enthusiastic. But he seems like a decent and strong person, too. _

_Now, how is everything going back home? Is everyone doing fine without me? I already miss you guys, and it feels strange waking up in a different room, without Boyd or Rolf nearby. Are you really stressed, Dad? If there is anything that goes wrong, I will be on my way back to help out. Are Boyd and Rolf doing alright? I hope they aren't giving you a hard time! _

_There was also something I wanted to ask you, Dad. If I become a knight, does that mean I will be a murderer? I asked Captain Mathias about this, and he told me that we are fighting to protect our loved ones and fighting for our country, but, I'm still killing people nonetheless. I'm trying to clear everything up in my mind, but I really am still unsure...Any advice, Dad? _

_Anyways, I miss you very much, and I hope Boyd and Rolf aren't causing too much trouble and you can handle things at home without me. Tell Boyd and Rolf that I miss them, too!_

_Love,_

_Oscar_

Oscar set his quill down, organized his writing materials back into their pouch and lay it neatly in the corner of the desk. He very quietly opened the door to his room and sneaked out, deposited his letter into a bin and returned. He blew out the candle and walked over to the bed and lay down on his side, staring outside at the moon that hung in the sky that was shining brightly; more brightly than usual, and thought about his family back home...

* * *

><p>"Daddy, the moon is really bright tonight! I wonder if big brother can see it, too." Boyd inquired, pointing up at the silver orb in the midnight sky.<p>

Linus laughed gently and ruffled the forest-green hair on his son's head, also staring up into the sky. "Boyd, Oscar will definitely be able to see it."

Boyd crawled into bed but continued staring at the moon, transfixed. Linus pulled the thin cloth over Boyd's body and continued: "Who knows, he might even be looking at it right at this moment... Wouldn't that be nice?"

Boyd simply nodded.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading, people! I hope you liked it, please review, and leave a comment. The little part with Oscar thinking about if he really wants to become a knight or not just kind of randomly appeared on my paper, I wasn't actually planning on adding that in but felt like it was fitting. And the little scene with Boyd. I just thought it was kind of cute, you know. Next chapter… something. I'm not sure yet, so I'll figure it out. <em>


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